Single Takes (Yves Tumor, Tierra Whack, Medhane, Ballaké Sissoko, Julie Byrne & Jefre Cantu-Ledesma)

Single Take is a Reviler feature where multiple people give a passing glance at some new music and causally rank it somewhere between 1 (Justin Beiber) and 10 (really amazing). Fun, right? Check out the latest installment below and feel free to tell us who stupid and out of touch we are based on our opinions. Arguing on the internet: the greatest of American traditions.

Adam 10/10 

My favorite track from one of my top 10 favorite albums of the year. Highest recommendation on this one.

Josh 9.5/10

I’ve realized that I love Yves Tumor because they fill the void left by one of my favorite bands of all time, TV on the Radio. This isn’t my favorite song on the record, but it is the kind of tightly wound, anthemic, groove-based art pop that this album does so well.

Jon 9/10

Really dig Yves Tumor’s sound. It feels both fresh and new (which is tough this day and age) while also comfortably familiar in a way that I can appreciate without having to drastically alter the well-worn grooves in my brain’s musical pleasure-spots. This is also a great example of a well executed electric guitar solo that actually fits the song perfectly. Diana Gordon’s guest vocals remind me a little of Alanis Morissette but I can live with it. 

Josh 8/10

Like her previous work, this song is almost criminally short, but this track is more serene and heartfelt than her previous work. A stirring song that captures the broken-hearted, isolated pain we’ve all felt this year.

Adam 6/10

Great chill track that clocks in just under 90 seconds. Would like to hear more as it disappears so quick.

Jon 7.5/10

At first I was like “this song is over before it even gets anywhere” but upon further listening I think the tune is just short but effective. It does kind of seem like its building towards something that never happens but I don’t mind it. It’s got a great vibe, pairing a very mellow structure with Tierra Whack’s rapid fire (if melancholy) verse. 

Adam 7/10 

Refreshing to hear some cool beats once in a while with no snare/hi hat that paints a nice backdrop for an MC to go off

Josh 7.5/10

Like the Yves Tumor track above, this isn’t my favorite song from the album that it is on, but still a track that represents an artist I’ve spent a lot of time with this year. The hyper minimalist beats and the Earl Sweatshirt-esqe smokey vocals are right in my wheelhouse, so I’ve really enjoyed digging into Medhane.

Jon 6/10

This one also seems like it’s building to something that never happens. Medhane’s has a nice laid back cadence and I can appreciate the relatively sparse verse in this day and age of overproduction, but never changing up the beat or the flow gets a little repetitive. 

Adam 5/10 

Very cool instrumetation but didn’t do a whole lot for me as a whole piece

Jon 6/10

A nice tune but listening via this medium (with interludes of French talking) is distracting, especially since I don’t know at all what’s being said. Aside from all the talking this seems like good background music but maybe not something I’d intentionally put on. 

Josh 5/10

A genre of music I don’t know a ton about, but seems like the kind of peaceful background music I may spend some time listening to if given the chance.

Jon 8/10

Very dreamy. I have struggled to get into Julie Byrne in the past despite her acclaim and the fact that, on paper, she should be right up my alley. Starting to understand what the fuss is about – this is pretty excellent. 

Josh 7/10

I am a huge fan of Jefre Cantu-Ledesma’s sonic masterpieces and have enjoyed the ethereal, singer/songwriter music I’ve heard from Julie Byrne, and this song sounds exactly like you’d expect when blending the two. Peaceful, almost shimmering music and haunted, beautiful vocals.

Adam 8/10 

Always a fan of lofi worn out beats and synths. Definitely would love to hear an album of this